Inner Loop East Project

The Inner Loop East Transformation Project is converting a sunken section of expressway to the east of Downtown to an at-grade "complete street," that will include bicycle and walking paths. The construction phase of the project started in November 2014 and is expected to be complete by December 2017.

View current activity at the Inner Loop Transformation Project site using the project's webcam.

Development Parcels

A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued March 17, 2016 for five individual parcels of land at the Inner Loop East Transformation project site. A recommendation on the RFPs will be made at the end of July.

Project Updates

East Ave has

been reconstructed as an at-grade street, which eliminated a bridge over the former Inner Loop. Learn More>>

Charlotte St, which has been divided by the Inner Loop since 1964, has been reconstructed and now extends from Alexander St to Scio St Learn more >>

Broad Street has been reconstructed as an at-grade street, which eliminated a bridge over the former Inner Loop.

Savannah St has been extended across the former Inner loop connecting to the new South Union St.

Tomorrow's Inner Loop

Architectural Renderings

East Avenue and Union Street

Broad and Union Street

In order to encourage sustainable economic growth and create a more livable Downtown, Rochester is in the process of reconstructing a 2/3 mile stretch of the eastern segment of the Inner Loop between Monroe Ave and Charlotte St into a high quality complete city street.

The new at-grade street will tremendously enhance the area's livability, allowing people to easily walk and bicycle between neighborhoods and Downtown.

In addition to the clear livability benefits, the developable land surrounding the loop will be transformed into a mixed use community that would provide Rochesterians and visitors with places to work, live and play. The City has received many letters of support from the community including real estate developers, neighborhood groups and business associations.

Project Benefits

Reconstructing the Inner Loop East from an expressway to a complete street will produce a myriad of benefits, including:

Increasing Traffic Safety: The project will eliminate multiple, non-standard features and three federal-aid bridges, two of which are structurally deficient and in need of major rehabilitation.

Supporting Healthy Lifestyles and Improving Livability: By providing a boulevard with wide sidewalks and dedicated bicycle facilities while leveraging mixed-use infill development, the project encourages bicycle and pedestrian activity, helping to create a more livable and sustainable community.

Reconnecting Neighborhoods with Downtown: It will remove a significant barrier to redevelopment in the East End, one of Rochester’s most important downtown districts, and reconnect thriving east side neighborhoods with the downtown area.

Promoting Development: Completion of this project is expected to open roughly six acres of land to mixed-use redevelopment, which could leverage an additional 430,000 to 800,000 square feet of commercial and residential space. Reclaiming this land will raise local tax revenues, create jobs and generate private investment. The Benefit-Cost ratio of this project is conservatively estimated to be between 1.9 and 2.2.

Saving Money:Maintenance of this portion of the Inner Loop would exceed the cost of filling the loop in and creating an at-grade street, while providing none of the benefits listed above.

To learn more about all of the benefits along with details on the project, check out the Final Design Report: